Children's home run by Trauma in Mind Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 2646176 1 Registered provider: Trauma in Mind Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they specialise in the restorative parenting of children who have experienced developmental trauma and adverse experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since November 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 14 February 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2646176 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2646176 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have, at times, made very good progress. Children who have previously experienced placement breakdowns have remained at the home for long periods. Since the last inspection, no children have moved into the home and one child has left.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is absolute commitment by the provider to sticking with children through difficult times. They are also realistic in understanding that children’s needs can change over time and that they may no longer be able to look after a child safely. When a child’s time at the home ends, there is sensitive support for them to have a positive ending. A social worker said, ‘The complexities and how they managed them was excellent. They went over and above to make the placement work.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The ethos of the staff is one of loving, nurturing, therapeutic care. Relationships between children and staff are strong. Children want to spend their time with staff. A crochet club has been introduced, with children and staff getting involved. The responsible individual commented that this keeps them busy, and enjoying the camaraderie of joint activities encourages children to speak more openly about their thoughts and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The environment is homely, welcoming, warm and nurturing. Staff go to great lengths to try and ensure the home does not feel institutional. A little touch such as warming up children’s school uniform on a cold day is an example of the nurturing care children receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s relationships with people who are important to them are valued. Family time is prioritised and when children have disagreements with loved ones, the adults help support the child to repair these relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s education. Attendance is usually very good. If children struggle to settle at school, the adults work proactively with education providers and the virtual school to find bespoke education packages which meet children’s needs. A virtual school representative said, ‘Without the home’s local knowledge and links [the child’s] timetable would have been lacking in variety.’ Another education professional said, ‘We’ve seen such a change in [name of child]. They are like a different child. They are happy and settled. They come to school ready to learn and that’s a major difference.’

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Risk management is effective, which means children are safe and protected from harm. Safeguarding incidents are infrequent. However, more recently, there was an increase in incidents when children’s safeguarding needs increased. During incidents, appropriate action is taken to ensure children’s safety. Following any Inspection report for children's home: 2646176 4 incidents, there is careful reflection and debrief and consideration of what could be done if the situation were to happen again. This demonstrates the commitment to reflection and development to ensure children receive high-quality care.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children are encouraged to take age-appropriate risks in line with their risk assessments. For example, they independently go to a local park which is in sight of the home, and some children go shopping for items they need. Opportunities like this help increase children’s independence skills and confidence.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children very rarely go missing from home. When this occurs, the adults follow the children’s missing-from-home risk assessments and take the necessary action to help children return home. This usually includes searching for the child, as well as contacting friends and acquaintances.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The adults show empathy and help children to regulate their emotions and behaviours. They have the skills to talk sensitively with the children and put them at ease when discussing difficult subjects. As a result, children have the confidence to talk about their worries and begin thinking about and reflecting on past negative experiences.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff understand what they should do if they have any worries about a child’s welfare. Staff spoken to during the inspection had a clear understanding of whistle- blowing procedures. Any concerns for a child’s safety or welfare are promptly shared with the relevant safeguarding professionals. When internal investigations are necessary, these are dealt with quickly and effectively.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The home’s location assessment has been updated. However, consultation with relevant people such as the police, neighbours and other professional stakeholders is yet to be recorded. It is important relevant people can comment on the suitability of the home’s location and for them to have the opportunity to share information which may have an impact on children’s safety.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The home is physically safe. Staff complete regular health and safety checks and follow the correct safety procedures to protect children from environmental risks. Children are protected by the organisation’s safe recruitment practices, which help prevent unsuitable adults from working with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s previous registered manager left in November 2022. The responsible individual is taking urgent action to fill the vacancy. In the meantime, the provider’s senior leadership team has been providing management support. Although this support is good, and staff report that they feel well supported, some areas, such as the frequency of supervision for staff and records being kept up to date, have slipped. The management team is aware of these shortfalls and is taking action to improve these. Inspection report for children's home: 2646176 5 The managers are aware of the areas of weakness where development is needed. They are taking action to ensure improvements are made to ensure that children receive the consistency of care they need. There has been some turnover of staff since the last inspection, but a small, stable team remains. This has ensured children receive high-quality care from people who know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are child-centred and have high ambitions for the children. They benefit from specialist training opportunities. These include a through and comprehensive induction, ongoing training, and support in implementing the home’s model of therapeutic care. They receive training on attachment theory, developmental trauma and adverse childhood experiences. To further enhance their knowledge, the staff would benefit from more awareness of the adoption process, including the needs of adopted children and of adoption disruption.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents and professionals recognise children’s progress and the positive difference that the support children receive is making to their lives. A social worker said, ‘Care cannot be questioned. I would place there again. There’s great holistic support.’ Inspection report for children's home: 2646176 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (2)) 31 March 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’,paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure case records are kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. In particular, staff awareness of adoption and adoption disruption should be enhanced. (‘Guide to

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Recommendations

the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 10.11)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children's home: 2646176 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Park House, 37 Clarence Street, Leicester LE1 3RW

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Inspector

Catherine Honey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2646176 8 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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